Not too surprisingly, Stan Heath is out as Arkansas’ basketball coach. I like Heath and think he’s a great guy. However, I’m not sure he was going to get the job done, at least not the job that was expected of him - bringing Arkansas basketball back to what it was from the late 80’s through the mid-90’s under Nolan Richardson. (Richardson, by the way, sounded off yesterday, making all kinds of ridiculous statements. He always takes an opportunity to take a shot at Broyles, and reporters always seem to flock to him to give such an opportunity.)

Heath had 20 or more wins the last two seasons and reached the NCAA tournament. However, it seems they didn’t feel he was getting it done as a bench coach, and they felt like, with all the talent returning, it would be a good time to get someone else in there. Word is Billy Gillespie is target #1. It was reported locally last week that a deal was already being made with Gillespie, and would be made final upon Heath’s exit. We’ll see…

Speaking of coaching Billy’s, when Tubby Smith fled Kentucky last week, expectation was that Billy Donovan would be at the top (or very near the top) of their target list. One of the prominent rumors (reported earlier on a Lexington television website, although since removed) is that Kentucky has already made a deal with Billy Donovan’s agent that will make Donovan the new Wildcat coach. He would be introduced next week after the Gators are finished with the NCAA tournament.

I’m not sure what to think about that. Donovan was on PTI yesterday (see video at ESPN), and Kornheiser asked him directly if he was interested in the job. Donovan only replied that he’s focused on the task at hand – preparing his team for the final four. Kornheiser persisted with a follow up, asking, what about down the road, after the tournament? Donovan again said he was only thinking about this weekend. I don’t know what Kornheiser was expecting. “Yeah, I’m interested in the Kentucky job.” He’s just not going to answer that question right now (and shouldn’t have to.) Fortunately, he didn’t say “I’m not going to be the Kentucky coach.” That might come back to haunt him.

I thought a couple of years ago that Donovan would leave if Kentucky called (and I knew Smith was in his final years then.) Now, however, I’m not so sure. Especially if they were to win it all again this weekend. But, occasionally, when a coach is losing a lot of key players, they are more inclined to be wooed elsewhere. (See Roy Williams in 2003.) Florida will almost certainly lose four starters, if not all five. Not to mention that, at Florida, football is king. If he wants to be at a school where basketball is king, there’s probably not any place better than Kentucky. I’ll be anxious to see if anything comes of this. Honestly, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Also, apparently Iowa has been given permission to talk to Bruce Pearl. Whether or not anything comes of that I have no idea. If Pearl is interested in returning north, that might be a job he’ll consider.